US gives final approval of Pfizer’s Covid vaccine for children aged 5-11
WASHINGTON - The United States can now start giving children aged 5-11 the Pfizer BioNtech Covid vaccine, US health authorities said Tuesday in a move hailed by President Joe Biden as a "turning point" in the fight against the pandemic.
"It is a major step forward for our nation in our fight to defeat the virus, the president continued," said Biden.
The government has already secured enough vaccine for every child in America, he said, adding that over the weekend officials began the process of packing and shipping millions of doses.
The vaccine will still be given in two injections, three weeks apart. The dosage has been adjusted to 10 micrograms per injection, compared to 30 micrograms for the older age groups.
The CDC had convened a panel of independent scientists on Tuesday to review the available data on the status of the outbreak in children, the effectiveness of Pfizer’s vaccine, and its possible side effects during a day of live-streamed discussions.
The panel unanimously recommended the vaccine, and the CDC then endorsed that recommendation.
Health authorities have confirmed nearly 880 cases in people under 30 years of age, of which approximately 830 required hospitalisation.
Nine deaths are suspected to have been related to myocarditis after the vaccine. But of six cases so far reviewed, vaccine-related myocarditis was ultimately not identified as the cause of death. - AFP
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